


for when we can't listen to music together

by rotted_core



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff, I'm soft for these two sorry not sorry, M/M, Post Season 3, Will's goodbye scene basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 01:30:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21153350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rotted_core/pseuds/rotted_core
Summary: Mike wasn't the best at goodbyes or gift-giving, so when he found himself having to do both, needless to say, he floundered.





	for when we can't listen to music together

**Author's Note:**

> i'm forever gonna be bad at summaries and i'm apologizing again. this AU is also called "Mike isn't an asshole AU" because what the fuck was S3

Mike didn’t want Will to leave in the least. He was sad to see all of the Byers and El leave, but he was mostly distraught over not being able to see or be around Will. He wasn’t good at goodbyes, or talking about his feelings in general to anyone, especially the feelings he had towards Will that were very different than the ones he had towards the rest of the party. 

With the date of Will’s leaving drawing closer, Mike had been preparing his goodbye present over the span of the week, getting his parents and even Nancy to help him with it, borrowing every vinyl and cassette in the house to bring down into the basement so he could record the songs as clearly as he could. He wanted to say something at the end of the tape, maybe his confession, but he couldn’t bring himself to verbally say it. He looked at the tape in his hand, tapping a red pen against his leg as he thought of something to write. 

‘To Will,’ of course that was first. He only had three lines, small ones at that, so he had to make it count. 

‘This is for when we can’t listen to music together. Hope you like it.’

‘Don’t you forget about me. Love, Mike.’ And with that, scribbled a red heart by both his name and Will’s. 

He swallowed around the lump in his throat as he got out of Nancy’s car, hugging Joyce, El, and even Jonathan, getting a solid clap on his shoulder, and now he was left to face Will, wiping his eyes and giving him a watery smile. Mike’s own eyes burned but he sniffled sharply to keep the tears at bay, reaching into his jacket pockets and fumbling for a moment as Will stepped closer, eyebrows drawn in clear confusion. 

“Are you looking for the guts to hug me or what?” Will joked, laughing albeit sadly when Mike gave him an unimpressed look. 

“No, I’m not, I’m-- here,” Mike said, finally finding the tape and handing it over. He wrote on the sticker on the protective case with the same red pen as before, ‘For Will the Wise, with love from Mike’ he wrote, even adding doodles of some dice, a demogorgon, and Will’s wizard outfit. 

Looking over the tape only made fresh tears fall down Will’s cheeks, grabbing for Mike and pulling him into a tight hug. He felt Mike bury his face in his shoulder as he hugged him back just as tightly, happy to feel his back shaking and twitching with his own hidden tears. 

“I can’t believe you made me a tape,” Will said when they pulled back, wiping their cheeks on their sleeves and lingering close to one another. 

Mike rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, tousling his hair. “I know how much you liked when Jonathan made you one with all those cool songs from a couple years ago, so I figured I could make you one, too. With different songs, obviously, I wouldn’t want to make you one with the same ones.” He was rambling and he knew he was, but he couldn’t stop himself, feeling his cheeks start to burn.

“I’ll listen to it on our way out,” Will promised, clutching the tape tightly in his hands before making himself loosen his grip so he wouldn’t crack it. “God, I’m really going to miss you, Mike.” He said quietly, looking to the others in case they overheard, but they were busy talking amongst themselves, except for El, who cast them a casual but knowing look. 

“Are you trying to make me cry again?” Mike asked with another sniffle. 

“No! I’m not meaning to, I’m just saying… I don’t want to pick favorites, but I’m going to miss you the most.” Will added in a tone that was very clearly trying to get a message across, feeling over the tape as he said it. 

Mike’s eyebrows pulled together slightly as he tried to piece it together, his heart hammering in his chest, not wanting to get his hopes up if Will wasn’t really saying what Mike was saying with the tape. He glanced away briefly before speaking just as quietly, “I’ll miss you just as much, Will. We’ll hang out before school starts again or something, or the first break we get, okay?” He promised and gave Will a smile, which only seemed to make his eyes well up again. 

“Okay, kids, let’s load up,” Joyce softly urged, coming up to pat Mike’s head and squeeze Will’s shoulder, kissing the side of his head before walking to the car.

Will and Mike looked at each other, a sense of panicked urgency in their eyes for all of the things that weren’t being clearly written out, but the rest of the party was coming back around them, Dustin starting a group hug to encompass everyone. 

“I’m gonna go, or I’ll never get in the car,” Will said with another sad laugh, waving to everyone with his free hand, the other one carefully hiding the tape in his pocket. He looked out the window to give the party a final-final wave, tearfully grabbing his tape player and opening the case, smiling even as the tears trailed down his cheeks for a third time that afternoon when he read the other lines Mike had written. He put on his headphones and leaned his head back, his heart leaping when he heard Mike’s voice captured on the recorder. 

“Shut up, Nancy! I’m trying to record shit for Will!” 

Nancy’s voice was faraway, Will imagining her at the top of the basement steps, hands on her hips. “You can record stuff for your boyfriend after you ask me for my tapes!”

“Mom!” Mike yelled like he had gotten up from the recorder, a now muffled argument coming from Nancy, Mike, and their mom, making Will laugh to himself despite the tears falling fresh and heavy, not even caring that he got looked at like he was a nut. It was his new favorite thing.


End file.
